The Climate Dynamics Group at the University of California, Santa Cruz is led by Professor Nicole Feldl1.
We study how atmospheric circulation, ocean interactions, radiative transfer, and land surface processes shape regional and global climate. Much of our research centers on the radiative feedbacks associated with water vapor, temperature, clouds, and snow and sea ice: by regulating the energetics of the climate system, these feedbacks set Earth’s climate sensitivity and drive changes in circulation and precipitation.
Recently we have focused on polar amplification—why the high latitudes warm so much more than the rest of the planet—and on the role of atmospheric moisture transport into the Arctic, both in the long-term mean and during episodic intrusions.
We work across a hierarchy of models—from simple energy balance models to idealized aquaplanets to comprehensive Earth system models—together with observational analysis and theory that distills the fundamental processes. We not only use these models but also develop them, for instance implementing numerical water tracers that track atmospheric moisture from evaporation to precipitation.